I just can't agree with closing the borders completely.

As a site Tampa Bay Moms Group generally tries to stay neutral on most topics. We never want to alienate members for their beliefs... So as I write this realize this is NOT the official stance of the site... It's MY official personal opinion and not much more. In fact I originally wrote it on my Facebook page but I have decided to share here because a member and friend asked me to (ironically she disagrees with me but we do respect each others point of views on this). So if you do decide to read this (and believe me... you don't have to) do so trying to understand where I am coming from. And if you agree great, if you disagree that's fine as well BUT if you comment please do so respectfully because we will not all agree on this but we can all at least be considerate of each other.

I've had so many thoughts circling my head lately with the terrorist attacks and refugees issues. Seriously I encourage you to stop reading now because I'm not posting this for a debate. I just kinda need to let out some of my thoughts and I'm using Facebook to do it. I'm probably going to open a can of worms with this so if you really disagree ignore it, if you agree you can ignore it too but the irony of the holiday season and the views people have right now kinda befuddle me.

To the many people against allowing refugees entry into the US, especially the Christians, please keep in mind we are approaching a season that is about celebrating the birth of child who was born to two middle eastern refugees who were simply looking for shelter and safety for their family.

I am not saying we should have "open borders". I think there are ways to offer refugees sanctuary at least temporarily and keep ourselves safe (which admittedly should be a top priority) but I don't think refusing people a place to be safe in a land where we nearly all descend from immigrants is the right choice either. Refugees camps, stringent screenings of all who enter or even allowing only women and these poor children... There has to be something that we, as the greatest nation in the world, can do besides yell "close the borders". That is not a solution.

Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

Does Lady Liberty now stand in a Bay atop a pedestal of lies?

If we allow fear from terrorism to make us abandon principles this country was founded on... Aren't they winning? People live in fear, they've lost their compassion, they are being forced into war. We, the people of the world, are losing a fight we wanted no part of but are now all involved in.

We need to take a stand, do what's right and find a way to fix the problems. Hiding from them will no longer work. Locking our doors will not make it go away.

We must fight. We can fight with guns, bombs and by not allowing fear to keep us from being compassionate to our fellow man in need. Please... Let's fight. The war is happening around the world, it's coming here in many forms. We fight, we win. We do nothing, we lose. Even if not a single bomb reaches the US, if not a single shot were to be fired... As soon as we give up our principles... We lose. This is a war about humanity, about human nature... It's about strength and the ability to do what's right even in the face of fear... It's a battle we can not afford to lose.

If you think borders should be shut and refugees refused entry to the US or your state... This won't change your mind. And I do see where you are coming from in your opinion on this... But I can't in good conscience agree. My kids, my family and life come first. But these people left a homeland because they felt the same. They risked their lives for a chance at safety. If we can give them safety... Shouldn't we? Wouldn't we want the same for ourselves?

We celebrate Oskar Shindler and Harriet Tubman... These are people who risked everything to give others a chance at freedom, safety and a better life. Should we not try to do the same? As a nation? The least we can do is offer asylum even if only for a little while. Do we want to look back after a few generations and see we did nothing? What would have happened had we not intervened in the Holocaust? What if we had rejected the immigrants fleeing from Germany? Americans were opposed to allowing Jewish victims entry for a long time for very similar reasons as we have for refusing refugees now, but looking back I think we know it was the right decision. Not the easy one, but the right one.

America was created to give people a better life, better than the ones they tried to escape. I don't feel that this, of all times, is the time to change that. Not now when the world needs us more than ever.